Steel in the Dark
by Knight Fallout
Summary: The Brotherhood of Steel has launched its campaign in the Commonwealth, and enlisted the help of the Sole Survivor to destroy the Institute. However, the Lone Wanderer will be damned if she's going to let them do it without her. (There will be major spoilers in this, so proceed with caution) (Abandoned)
1. Chapter 1

There were many times I'd been glad to see the Citadel, and this was just one of many. My journey to the Mojave Wasteland had been interesting, and though difficult, it was nothing I couldn't handle. I went there of my volition, to contact this person known mostly as the Courier, and also to check in how the chapter of the Brotherhood that lived there was doing. They were still isolationists, but slightly more open to outsiders after this Courier had helped them with their problems. It seemed the Brotherhood were destined to always need help from outsiders.

I ran towards the doors eagerly, failing at suppressing the smile on my face. It had been a little over six months since I left, and I was looking forward to taking things slowly. Well, as slow as it ever could be. Barely a minute went by without _something_ needing my attention, but it was good to feel needed. I had this secret fear that one day the Brotherhood would decide they didn't need or want me, and kick me out. Luckily, there seemed to be no sign of this happening any time soon.

"State your name and business," the guard at the door said as I approached. I looked around, but since no else was there, I assumed he was talking to me.

"Knight Grace, reporting in," I said. He turned to the bored looking woman to his left.

"Huh?" She glanced up at me. "Oh yeah, let her in."

"Thank you," I said, trying to make it sound sarcastic and sincere at the same time. I ended up sounding rude, and I smiled apologetically as the doors opened, and I walked inside. The courtyard looked different than I remembered, but I suppose part of it had to have been rebuilt, after an unfortunate incident that nearly caused the whole place to go up in flames. That was a few years back, and it couldn't have happened at a more inconvenient time, since the Brotherhood was in the middle of constructing an enormous airship.

My mission to the Mojave wasn't anything official, but I was still sure that the elder would be interested in my findings. He used to like my stories of the wasteland when he was a child. I smiled softly to myself, remembering the timid young boy I first met when I came to the Citadel. He was nothing like that anymore, though I suppose it was partly my doing. When the elder crisis occurred, I was appointed as his bodyguard since it was getting increasingly likely that he'd be elder one day, and partially because they'd run out of use for me at that point, but the Brotherhood didn't want to let me get away.

The whole of the Citadel seemed to be quite empty, as I walked through the interior looking for someone I recognised. Eventually, I went up to a random scribe, and waited as they finished talking to someone, which took a while. People used to drop whatever they were doing to talk to me, and I didn't think my importance had diminished _that_ much. I consoled myself by saying that they didn't realise who I was.

"How can I help you?" the scribe turned to me, and asked. She looked closely at my face, tilting her head to one side.

"I was just wondering, where is everyone?" I folded my arms behind my back, standing as straight as possible. It was difficult for me to come off as anyway authoritative, mainly because I still looked so young, despite being twenty nine. The blonde hair, and big blue eyes, and baby-face certainly did nothing to help, and my voice was still high pitched, and childish.

The scribe raised her eyebrow at me. "A lot of people went to the Commonwealth on the Prydwen."

"Are you serious?" I exclaimed.

"That was about a month ago, didn't you know?"

"No, I've been away for about six months." I put one hand on my hip, and pressed the other to my forehead. "Have you heard anything about what's happened there?"

She shook her head, her hair whipping her face. "I'm just an initiate scribe. Go ask a paladin, or something."

"Is Star Paladin Cross still around?" I asked.

"Yes, she should be in the lab. She probably won't tell you anything."

I started walking away. "She will, trust me."

"Who _are_ you?" she called after me. I stopped, and turned around and saluted.

"I am Knight Harmony Purity Grace, better known to the Capital Wasteland as the Lone Wanderer," I declared, before running down the corridor to where I thought the laboratory was. I was mistaken, and had to quickly hurry past the scribe again, hoping that she didn't notice.

Cross was indeed in the lab, which shouldn't have surprised me, since it was where she normally was. What _was_ surprising was how empty the place was. There were maybe four other people in total there, though I guess they didn't have much reason to be in there, since the Brotherhood didn't have any major projects they were working on after getting the Prydwen built and operational.

"Harmony, it's good to see you've returned safely. I should have expected that, you're among the strongest of us here," Cross said once she noticed me. Though I hadn't travelled with her much, the very fact that she was the third highest ranking member in the Citadel told me her compliment meant a lot.

"Thank you, it's good to be back, but there's one small problem," I said.

She frowned slightly. "What is it?"

"I've been told by one of the scribes that many people left to go to the Commonwealth. Is this true?" I asked.

"Yes, but I thought Elder Maxson told you about his plans."

"And I told him that it was best to stay out of there, because we had no idea what kind of enemy we'd be facing. We'd only sent a few recon teams, and not all of them had returned." I crossed my arms over my chest. "So, what's happened to them out there? I'm guessing you've heard from them."

"I'm not supposed to disclose the information with anyone below the rank of paladin," she said uncomfortably.

"Cross, it's _me_."

She sighed. "Okay, but don't tell anyone else. We've only recently learned this, and they're not entirely sure of how things will end up out there." She looked around, and then lowered her voice. "They've recruited the help of a civilian, who they believe can gain access to the Institute. He's already helped them secure a fort from a group of super mutants."

I rolled my eyes. "So Maxson actually wants to take down this Institute I'm guessing?"

"That's what I've heard, yes."

"What direction is the Commonwealth?" I lifted my Pip-Boy up, and switched to the map.

"You're not really going to go there on foot are you?" Her eyes widened.

"What other options do I have? It's kind of northeast, isn't it?" I fiddled with the dials and buttons on my Pip-Boy, trying to zoom out as far as possible. I'd built up the map to reach the west coast, but I'd had to do that manually. "They call me the Lone Wanderer for a reason."

"You said yourself you don't know what could be out there."

I looked up at her, somewhat disbelievingly. "I think I can handle it."

"How about I see if someone will take you in a vertibird?" she suggested. I paused, wondering why I didn't think of that.

"That'd be great. You get on that, I need to go get my good equipment. I left most of it here when I went to the Mojave, so it wouldn't weigh me down." I smiled at her. "Thanks Cross."

She smiled back, shaking her head fondly. "I presume I'll find you in your quarters?"

"I'll wait in there until you come find me." I rushed off to my room, feeling a mixture of excitement and anger.

I was glad to see that my room hadn't changed one bit, except for the dust that covered everything. There'd be no point cleaning up, since I was leaving soon. I knelt down in front of the large trunk that took up most of one side of the room, and realised that I didn't have the key to it anymore. Thankfully, I always kept bobby pins everywhere, and I found a box of them in a drawer of my desk, and picked the lock, which was a skill that I had perfected over years of looting buildings.

A smile spread across my face when I looked upon what was inside. I first took out the clothes, which were neatly folded, which was a change for me. They were what I wore whenever I was on official Brotherhood duty, or acting as Maxson's bodyguard. I stripped off the leather armour I was currently wearing, and shoved them underneath my bed to do something with later.

The black trousers seemed to be a little looser, so I had to take the belt from my leather armour, which didn't go with the whole outfit, and then I paused to wonder if I'd really just thought that. When I picked up the black shirt, I noticed that the small _101_ I'd embroidered on the inside of the collar was starting to come loose, but I didn't have any thread on me, so I just had to hope that it wouldn't fall off. I'd made most of the clothes, but the armoured chest piece and leg guards I'd had to buy from the quartermaster, mainly out of laziness.

I lifted up the long black trench coat, still feeling proud of making it, since it was the only thing that made me look remotely tough, and I didn't have to ruin it with extra armour pieces, since I'd reinforced it on the inside. I'd sewn patches of the Brotherhood insignia onto the upper arms of the sleeves. It still fit just fine when I put it on, and I grabbed a hand mirror from my bedside table so I could look at my reflection. Star Paladin Cross walked in on me posing for myself.

"Harmony?" she said, startling me so I nearly dropped the mirror. I smiled guiltily, like she'd caught me doing something wrong. "You're in luck, a small team is heading to Commonwealth to deliver supplies, and I've asked if they'd take you. Report to the vertibird station as soon as possible."

"Sure, I just need to grab one more thing." I went back over to the trunk, and lifted the Gatling laser out carefully. I set it down on the bed, and filled my pockets with extra fusion cores and a fairly large amount of caps, and then picked the laser gun up again. "I'm going to need Vengeance with me."

She shook her head, and told me to follow her. It felt good to be holding Vengeance again. It wasn't exactly the original one, I'd upgraded it to be more like the ones brought back by recon teams from the Commonwealth, so it ran on fusion cores instead of electron charge packs, which negated the need for a back mounted battery pack, since I'd been having back problems lugging it around.

I had to run to the vertibird, as the pilot was beginning to look very impatient. Cross wished me luck, and waved to me when we took off. I couldn't wave back, so I nodded at her, smiling, and then settled onto the seat. The knights sat next to me began talking to each other, and didn't try to include me in their conversation, not that I minded.

I looked out over the Wasteland as we flew by, seeing the destruction and chaos that reigned. The Capital Wasteland used to be no different, and for a long time that was just how things worked. It had changed now, and it wasn't exactly orderly, but there was structure. People knew the Brotherhood were in charge, though most weren't happy about it. Surely they could see that it was better than before? Then again, I wondered that sometimes. I sighed and shook my head, and focussed on the strange beauty of the devastation below.

* * *

 **I've been wanting to write something with chapters for a while, but I didn't have any solid ideas, until I came up with this. This is also partially to give some kind of explanation as to what happened to the Lone Wanderer. I've read up on what the game gives you as much as possible, but if I do get any details wrong, please let me know so I can correct them. I have proofread this, but if I have made any errors, inform me, since I decided to read over this while having a headache.**

 **Also, if you've read some of my other stories, you may recognise Harmony from the now discontinued " _Convergence_ ", and I'd just like to mention that in this universe, that isn't canon. **

**I'm not 100% certain with the title, but it's going to stay as that unless I think of anything better. If I do change it, I'll be sure to mention it.**

 **Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed, and as always, constructive criticism is very welcome, as is any kind of review.**


	2. Chapter 2

It had been daylight when we set out, and I was somewhat surprised to see that it was still daylight when we landed. The Commonwealth wasn't _that_ far away from the Capital Wasteland, but every distance seemed long to me, mainly since I insisted on doing every single journey on foot. Not just to assure my reputation as the Lone Wanderer, but also because I didn't want to feel dependent on anyone else. It was different when it was the other way round. I loved to feel needed, and important.

"Hey, Knight, where do you think you're going?" someone shouted after me as I started to walk away. I stopped, and turned around to face them.

"I need to speak with Elder Maxson," I said.

He glared at me. "We need you to help move these crates. And why aren't you in uniform?"

"Fine, I'll help you, but there's a reason I'm not wearing a uniform. I'm not a normal Knight." I crossed my arms, and walked back over to him. He shoved a crate into my arms roughly.

"I'm sure you're so goddamn special, now take these over there." He pointed in the direction, and I did as he said, though I tried to sweep past him as I did, which was difficult considering I wasn't the most graceful of people, despite my name, especially in my sturdy boots. I delivered the crate to its destination, and then returned to the vertibird to retrieve Vengeance. The Knight ordering me around grabbed the handle at the same time I did.

"Do you mind?" I wrenched it free from his grip, and he stared sternly at me.

"That weapon clearly is not intended for use by someone of _your_ rank," he said disdainfully, somehow forgetting that we were the same rank.

"It is mine, and I'd thank you to keep your hands off another person's property."

He shook his head, looking down at me. "What's your name, Knight?"

"Harmony Grace," I said, holding Vengeance close to me.

"You say that like I should know who you are."

"How long have you been here?"

"Four months." A hint of smile flickered on his face, like he was proud of his perceived accomplishment. It now made sense why he'd been treating me so rudely. Even those who didn't like me gave me the respect I'd so rightfully earned.

"If you want to know more about me, then go ask someone who's been here a while, because I have important business to attend to, and I can't stand here chatting." I turned on my heels, and headed into Boston Airport, where I'd hopefully find someone who knew me, and somewhere I could store Vengeance, since I was already starting to get a cramp in my left arm.

I felt I'd spend the rest of my life walking up and down corridors, when I was finally recognised. Truth be told, I didn't know who they were, but it was easy enough to pretend. "You're the Lone Wanderer, aren't you?" he asked, an excited grin on his face like he was meeting his favourite celebrity. Whatever a celebrity actually was. I only knew about them from books.

"Yes, that's me," I replied, smiling back as he seemed so friendly.

"I thought you'd left the Brotherhood," he said, clutching a stack of papers to his chest.

"I'd never leave the Brotherhood. Who told you that?" I sounded more aggressive than I'd intended, and he reeled back slightly.

"It-it was just a rumour I'd heard, I didn't _really_ think you'd done it," he stammered.

I smiled again, reassuringly this time. "It's okay, sorry. Do you know where I could find anyone in charge around here?"

"I can take you to Knight Sergeant Gavil," he suggested. "I'm Scribe Nico, by the way. I've heard a lot about you, and I've always thought you were amazing."

"It's nice to know that I have fans. So, what's been going on here?" I asked as he led me through the airport.

"Well it's all kind of hectic really, what with Elder Maxson wanting us to find the Institute, and also take care of the... less savoury people, uh creatures, in the Commonwealth." Nico pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Of course, I don't see much of that. I'm more of a behind the scenes kind of guy, thank god."

He continued talking, though I wasn't entirely concentrating. I was more intrigued by the Brotherhood's choice of location to set up a base. While an airport may seem the obvious choice when you've got an airship, it was right on the coast, leaving them vulnerable to attacks from sea creatures. I also had no doubt that the Brotherhood hadn't been exactly subtle when making their entrance to the Commonwealth. Because while it may have looked incredibly cool, it also alerted everyone to the fact that they were there, and that they meant business.

I hadn't realised Nico had stopped walking, and I carried on down a corridor until he called my name. I rushed back to him, and we went into a large supply room, which was the place I'd been right next to when I first arrived here.

Nico cleared his throat as he approached someone, which magically gained their attention. "Knight Sergeant Gavil, sir, I have someone here who wants to see you," he said timidly, bowing his head so that his glasses slipped down, and he had to push them back up.

"Ah, Knight Grace, we weren't expecting to see you here," Gavil said, narrowing his eyes sceptically.

"That's how I always have the upper hand. The element of surprise," I joked, but he remained straight faced. "Anyway, I finished my reconnaissance of the Mojave, and I wanted to report in to Elder Maxson."

"I see." Gavil's eyes widened, like the realisation of something had just hit him. "There should be a vertibird available to take you up to the Prydwen. Scribe, if you'd like to show her where it is."

"Yes sir." Nico nodded eagerly, and hurried away so that I struggled to keep up with him. I told myself that it was because I was carrying around a twenty pound heavy laser gun, and not because I'd spent a month of my Mojave adventure with the Courier in her casino, doing very little.

"Scribe, can I ask you something?" I said, startling him somewhat.

"Of course, miss."

"What do you know about this civilian who's meant to be able to get into this Institute?" I asked as nonchalantly as possible, which wasn't very much.

Nico glanced at me nervously, and wrinkled his nose. "I've only met him once, and he seems okay. He's very... dedicated."

It wasn't much to go on, but I suppose I'd have to make my mind when the met the guy myself. Nico nodded shyly at me as I boarded the vertibird to the Prydwen, and I smiled broadly back at him, causing him to blush. I laughed to myself as we ascended, and struggled to steady myself as the vertibird jerked when docking. The pilot got out first to help me off, but I shook my head at his offer, and jumped out, landing neatly on my feet while still holding Vengeance. He looked impressed, though I'd spent time practising that, and many times failing.

Lancer Captain Kells was on the deck, and he looked mildly surprised when he saw me. Maybe he'd expected me to show up at some point. It would've been more shocking if I'd decided I wanted to stay out of it.

"Am I cleared for entrance?" I asked, since it was part of protocol.

"Affirmative. I assume you're here to see the elder?" He stood with his arms behind his back, and I looked enviously at his spiffy captain's hat with the insignia on it.

"Well, I'm not here for the drinks and entertainment." I smiled, and he frowned. "So, I can just head on in?"

"Affirmative," he said, with a hint of uncertainty. I ignored this, and walked up the deck and to the door. I made several failed attempts to open the door with my elbow, and then my foot. Eventually, the Knight next to the door took pity on me and opened it for me. I flashed them a quick grateful smile, and went inside.

I couldn't take time to look around, as my eyes immediately fixed on Maxson who was stood looking out of the front of the ship over the Commonwealth. Initially, I'd been more than tempted to sneak up on him, but then I accidentally hit a scribe in the shins with Vengeance, and he turned around.

He stayed silent as I walked up to him, and I set Vengeance down on a couch. The scribe and knight also on the command deck with us could probably sense the tension, and quickly climbed up the ladder into the main deck to avoid being collateral damage in an argument between two people with Gatling lasers.

It was me who broke the silence. "Knight Harmony Grace, reporting for duty." I saluted in the usual Brotherhood way, putting my right fist over the left side of my chest.

"What are the results of your mission?" he asked, folding his arms behind his back.

"I successfully made contact with the Courier, and the Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel." I looked past him slightly, and to the world below.

"How are they?"

"They're doing well. They're still in their bunker, but they don't have the NCR trying to beat down the door anymore, so they're focussing their efforts elsewhere. They're nowhere near the strength they used to be, and they never will be. The elder is still wary of outsiders, and he was quite suspicious of me. But other than that, they're doing just fine," I explained.

"And what have you learned about this Courier?"

"I have notes on my Pip-Boy, and I'll write up a full report and give it to when it's ready." I shifted my gaze back to him. We were both delaying the inevitable conversation we had to have, and I didn't want to put it off any longer. "You seem to be doing well here. I guess you're glad you _didn't_ listen to my advice."

"The Institute is an enemy that needs to put down swiftly," he said sharply.

"Based on what? An energy reading from a recon team? We have _no_ idea what calibre of enemy we're dealing with here, so we shouldn't be charging into deal with them head on."

"And what do you suggest? We wait around for them to attack us? Have you even _seen_ the destruction they have caused already, with their synths?" He gestured to the window. "Those monstrosities of science could destroy everything, and you expect us to sit by and do nothing?"

I crossed my arms. "You're twisting things again. I'm _not_ saying that. From what I've seen, yes, we need to get rid of the Institute, but we need to approach this with caution."

"Where has caution got us in the past? Nowhere. The only way we can succeed is if we take action, and take action now, before they get the upper hand."

We were both shouting by that point, and I was too angry to control what came out of my mouth next. "And where has reckless behaviour gotten us? It's got people killed, and caused nothing but problems. Maybe if Sarah had been a bit more _careful_ -"

"Don't you bring Sarah into this!"

We both quietened at the sound of the door opening, and someone's footsteps. It was still pretty obvious what had happened, given our body language. The intruder stayed where he was, looking at the both of us nervously.

"Is everything all right, elder?" he asked, slowly approaching us. I stepped to the side, pressing the back of my hand against my flushed cheeks.

"Yes, Dexter, are you here to report in?" Maxson was breathing heavily, though he was trying to pretend like he was fine.

Dexter shook his head. "No sir, I just came by to pick up some ammunition." He looked at me, tilting his head to one side slightly. "Sir, if you don't find my question too intrusive, may I ask who this girl is?"

I snorted. "I'm not a _girl_ , I'm twenty nine, for god's sake. And I can do my own introductions. I am Harmony Grace, otherwise known as the Lone Wanderer."

"Knight Dexter Harper," he introduced himself, holding out a hand, though his face looked blank when I told him who I was. Why did no one seem to know me anymore? I shook his hand out of politeness.

"Dexter, can I ask you a question? First of all, how long have you been with the Brotherhood?" I put my hands on my hips.

"Only a few weeks, I think. I was originally a vault dweller, and I'm now assisting the Brotherhood in destroying the Institute," he said proudly, with a tinge of smugness. I then realised that must be the civilian outsider Cross had told me about. I also became a bit more interested in him when I learnt he was from a vault.

"What do you think of the Brotherhood's approach to dealing with the Institute?" I asked, glancing sideways at Maxson who was struggling to keep his temper.

Before Dexter could answer, Maxson spoke up. "Harmony, since you seem so eager to be involved with our campaign, I'm assigning you to help Knight Harper on whatever missions he requests your assistance with."

"As you wish, elder, but I don't have a use for her right now." Dexter looked vaguely irritated with this idea, and very doubtful of me. I huffed indignantly, but didn't bother arguing, as I felt most of the anger seeping out of me.

"Harmony, this is your first time in the Commonwealth, and I'm sure you're anxious to explore it. I'm guessing that Knight Harper knows several places that might be of interest," Maxson suggested, looking hard at both of us in case his intention to get rid of me wasn't clear enough.

Dexter lifted his Pip-Boy up. "I know of three settlements that you might find... interesting," he said, and held his hand out. I let him set the map markers on my Pip-Boy, and saw that most of them were a fair distance away from the airport.

"I'll head out right away." I raised my eyebrow, and turned for the door. I looked over my shoulder, and saw Dexter lean close to Maxson.

"Will she be all right by herself?" Dexter whispered not so quietly.

I rolled my eyes, and grabbed Vengeance as I made my way outside.

* * *

 **I don't have anything specific to say about this chapter, so just the usual. If I've made any mistakes, please inform me. If you have any suggestions, let me know. And thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **I'd also like to thank everyone who's favourite, followed or reviewed, as well as everyone reading this. It's good to know that people are liking this.**


	3. Chapter 3

I looked down at my Pip-Boy map as I left Boston Airport, and rolled my shoulders uncomfortably because of the laser rifle strapped to my back. Someone had convinced me that if I was going to visit new settlements, showing up with a Gatling laser _might_ not make the best first impression. I'd grabbed the laser rifle from a crate of them, hoping that no one would question me. They'd definitely notice it was gone.

A place called Covenant was the nearest location, but I still had quite a long walk, though that would give me a chance to see what the Commonwealth was going to throw at me. I'd probably encounter the usual creatures, and raiders, but I kind of hoped that I'd see something new. In the Mojave I saw some fascinating things, and after my first run-in with a cazadore, I spent two days in a hospital bed possibly hallucinating.

I passed by some kind of satellite array, and I slowed down as I walked past it. My natural urge to explore was getting the better of me, and I bargained in my head that I didn't actually _have_ a schedule to go off of. Before I could investigate, I heard the ever so familiar shouts of a super mutant. I froze in my position, and scanned the area for a suitable place to hide. If I could stay hidden long enough, then they'd forget I was even there in the first place.

I didn't have enough time to plan, as the super mutants had already spotted me, and began firing in my direction. They had trouble actually hitting me, and I whipped around to try and locate them. They were up one of the satellite towers, and I ripped the laser rifle on my back and aimed carefully to get a headshot. I pulled the trigger, and the super mutant disintegrated into a pile of ash.

The other mutants would notice me soon enough and I took off running, and dived behind a car at the sound of bullets. I then realised I was taking cover behind something that could very easily explode, and I instead ran to the nearby trees, just as the car erupted like a miniature nuclear bomb. I peeped around the tree, and saw about half a dozen super mutants, including one with a missile launcher.

I mentally mapped out my method of attack, when I was interrupted from my thoughts by the noise of laser rifle shots. It seemed that the super mutants regarding that person as a bigger threat, and since I wasn't being shot at, I moved from behind the tree to try and find this person, or people rather. This proved to be a mistake, as the mutant with the missile launcher had not yet detected them, but it sure as hell detected me. I heard the whooshing noise just in time, and sprinted away, though not completely out of range, and the force of the explosion slammed me into the ground.

For a moment, I thought maybe I was dead, but then I could hear the rushing of blood inside my head, and I rolled over onto my back. I stared up at the sky, and waited for my vision to stop being blurred, and my heart rate to be at a lower speed. I was aware that I was very much out in the open, but every time I tried to move, the world spun. Normally, I would've picked myself up and ran, and then collapsed later on, but there were other people here, and I just had to hope that they could deal with the super mutants.

The sound of gunfire had stopped, and I could hear footsteps closing in on me, and someone appeared into view. "Knight, are you okay?" Dexter asked, frowning.

"I'm fine," I said shakily. He didn't look as if he believed me at all, and I held my hand up in the air. He looked confused for a moment, and then realised, and he hauled me off the ground roughly.

"What happened to you?" Dexter asked.

I pressed the palm of my hand to my forehead, and squeezed my eyes shut tightly. "Mutant with a missile launcher. Nothing I haven't faced before," I said, trying to ignore the sharp pain in my head. It soon eased, and I breathed out heavily and opened my eyes. "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm following a distress signal to find a missing patrol team." He lifted his Pip-Boy, which was beeping.

"For the Brotherhood, I'm guessing? Used to be me who'd usually do stuff like that." I half smiled, and bent down to pick up my laser rifle. It was a bit scratched, but there didn't seem to be any major damage done.

"Who _are_ you, exactly?" He looked at me suspiciously, and folded his arms.

"Just ask someone who's been with the Brotherhood more than a year. Someone like..." I looked over Dexter's shoulder, and spotted someone in power armour coming towards us, who was familiar to me. "Someone like him, actually." I pointed, and waved.

Dexter glanced around confusedly, and then saw. "Oh, Danse is the area clear?" he asked, raising his voice.

"Affirmative," Danse replied. He turned to me. "Knight Grace, I see you decided to join us here."

"Do you really think I'd let the Brotherhood do this without me? It may have been ten years since the last time I destroyed an organisation, but I'm sure it won't be too difficult for me to get back into the swing of things." I smiled.

The corners of Danse's mouth flickered. "I don't doubt it."

"We should continue with our mission. I have a lot of work to do." Dexter sighed.

"Good luck with that. I'll see you whenever." I held my laser rifle in both hands, so that I'd be ready to shoot when the situation called for it. I nodded at them both in turn. "Knight, Paladin."

We went our separate ways, and I checked my Pip-Boy again to make sure I hadn't been thrown off course when I'd been thrown to the floor. I couldn't walk into a straight line to Covenant, since there was water in the way, and I'd learned to avoid most bodies of water.

Thankfully, I arrived at Covenant without anything too bad happening. I'd fought a group of raiders and ghouls along the way, but I'd been picking those things off for a decade, so it didn't cause me too much trouble. I was starting to get low on ammunition, so I hoped that this settlement had a weapons trader. The gate into it was closed, and I looked to the man sat in a chair next to it.

"Hey, can I come in?" I asked.

"As long as you pass the SAFE test, then sure," he said, and stood up. "Just sit down in front of the desk, and we can get started."

I did as he said, not questioning it, though it did seem rather odd. "How long will this take?"

"Only a few minutes. Now remember, there are no wrong answers." He cleared his throat, and looked down at the paper on the desk in front of him. "Question one. You are approached by a frenzied scientist, who yells, "I'm going to put my quantum harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber!" What's your response?"

I blinked at him. It may have been thirteen years since I did it, but I'd recognise the G.O.A.T test anywhere. I told him as such, and he shook his head, telling me that I must be mistaken. I answered all his questions, answering them in the exact same way that I'd done the first time round.

"Well, I think you'll be happy to know that you passed. Welcome to Covenant," he said once we were done. He went and opened the gate, and I entered the settlement, somewhat reluctantly. The place looked _too_ perfect. The houses were in excellent condition, like an atomic bomb _hadn't_ fallen on them.

Someone came up to me, smiling far too much. "Hello, I see you passed the test. It may seem a little excessive, but we like to ensure the safety of everyone here. So, what brings you to Covenant?" he said chirpily.

"I'm just passing through. Do you have a trader here?" I stepped backwards, worried his cheerfulness might infect me.

"You'll want to go see Penny in the house over there. We also have a doctor here, if you need any medical services." He pointed me in the right direction, in one of the houses, and I nodded gratefully.

"Well hello there, cutie, what can I get for you today? I'm sure I'll have something you want or need." The blinding joyfulness of someone, Penny I presumed, hit me the minute I walked in the door.

I walked up to the counter uncertainly. "Do you have any fusion cells?"

"Oh I'm sure I can find some somewhere. It's a bit of a mess at the moment, and I've been meaning to tidy it up for _ages_ , but I never have the time. I've never seen you before, so you must be new to Covenant. You're going to love it here, I just know it. It's the best town in the whole of the Commonwealth, with the friendliest people," she chattered, not pausing for breath, and keeping the same incredibly perky tone. After much searching, she dropped a fair amount of fusion cells onto the counter. "That'll be one hundred caps, please."

I produced the requested amount of money, and took the ammunition then hesitated before leaving, which proved to be fatal, as Penny continued talking. She was speaking so rapidly that I didn't take any of it, but I gathered that she was just gossiping about the people in town. I nodded in what I thought were the right places, and someone else came into the house, which distracted her from me.

This person was just as cheerful as everyone else I'd met here, and I stared in mild horror as they chatted. Eventually Penny's stream of conversation stopped, and she turned back to me. "Is everything all right, sweetie? You look like there's something wrong."

"How can you all be so _positive_?" I asked.

"Because Covenant is the best place to live, and we have nothing to hide here, dear," Penny replied, not at all fazed by my question.

"Yeah, and then it turns out you're incestuous cannibals, or something," I said, half sarcastic.

"We are not! How could you suggest such a thing?" Penny's cheeks flushed with indignation, and the other person gasped in shock.

I shook my head, and sighed. "Never mind. I'll just be going, then."

They didn't look too upset to see me leave, and I got out of there as quickly as possible. That town was hiding a dark secret, that's for sure, but I didn't want to hang around and get caught up in it. The last time that had happened, I'd had to kill everyone in the town, which left two children homeless, and I didn't want to go through that again.

My Pip-Boy told me that Diamond City was my next destination, and it seemed to be quite a big place. I hoped that it would be less insane than Covenant, but perhaps that was asking a bit too much of post-apocalyptic America. Actual, complete sanity was a rare commodity, same with normalcy. I gave up on finding either of those things a long time ago.

I looked back at Covenant one last time before it disappeared out of view. I wondered what it would be like to grow up somewhere like that, with the illusion of safety. I suppose in a way, I had, though without all the cheeriness. Vault 101 _was_ safe, most of the time, until my father left, shortly followed by me. People always acted like it was a terrible thing, being forced out into the great unknown that was the Capital Wasteland, with no preparation whatsoever.

In truth, I'd been practising shooting with my BB gun since I was ten, and I had a lot of medical knowledge since my father was one of the vault's doctors. And given enough time, I would have left under my own willpower. I didn't want to get married, have children, and be a vault physician for the rest of my life. I wanted _more_ , and that's exactly what I got. My life may have been dangerous, and difficult, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

 **If I've made any kind of error, do let me know, or if you have any suggestions then feel free to throw them my way. Any kind of feedback is much appreciated, and thank you for reading, and I do hope you enjoyed it.**


	4. Chapter 4

Diamond City came as a shock to me. I'd expected it be something like Megaton, and in some ways it was, but on a much larger scale. It was built inside a baseball stadium, which was a good idea, since the large walls offered so much protection. There were also several guards outside the front gate, but none of them came up to talk to me as I walked inside.

I went down to the marketplace, looking around in mild awe at just how _good_ things were. There were several stalls, with people selling different things, and there weren't people swearing and fighting everywhere. I hadn't even been approached by a prostitute yet.

I wandered around, and then went to one of the stalls, which appeared to be selling random bits of junk. The trader twitched as I walked up to her. "I've never seen you before. Are you synth?" she asked straight away.

"A what?" I replied, slightly taken back by her hostility.

"A synthetic human. A machine that pretends to be human. Are you one of those?"

"Oh yeah, like an android? No, I'm not." I shook my head.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "You don't _sound_ like you're lying. Fine. We can do business." She still looked suspicious of me, and I almost started to miss Penny.

"Do you sell ammo?" I asked, and she turned around to get an ammo box, glancing over shoulder as she did like I might steal something. I was offended; I hadn't stolen anything for at least three weeks. I bought some fusion cells, and a handful of 10mm, since I'd picked up a pistol from a raider I'd killed along the way.

I continued walking around, and near the entrance, I saw that there was a young girl selling newspapers. I went up and bought one from her, and leaned against the wall of the building she was near while I read it. The news was actually an interview with a vault dweller, who turned out to be Dexter. I discovered from reading it that he was from before the war, having been cryogenically frozen, and that his wife had been killed, and his son kidnapped, and he was searching for him. His situation was grimly familiar to me, just with the roles reversed. I only had to hope that his search ended better than mine did.

Just as I was about to start walking again, a woman exited the building next to me. She stared at me for a couple of seconds, and then looked to my arm, and raised an eyebrow. "So, you're with the Brotherhood, are you? I saw you guys come in on that big airship, saying that you come in peace. Not exactly subtle."

I slapped my palm to my face. "Yeah, that's us. I'm Knight Harmony Grace."

"Piper," she said. She tilted her head to one side, looking at me thoughtfully. "I'm a journalist, I write the newspaper here. Could I have a little interview with you? People want to know what the Brotherhood's doing here, and I aim to deliver the truth."

"I can't divulge too many details, mainly since I don't know them all myself." I folded my arms.

"So, the Brotherhood's keeping its own members in the dark about what it wants?" she said, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of an interesting story.

"No, not at all. It's because I just got here, like today actually."

"Oh. Well, how about you just give me a statement? You can be the voice of the Brotherhood," she suggested.

"Sure, I can do that." I thought about what to say as she searched for something to write on and with.

"Whenever you're ready."

"To the people of the Commonwealth, the Brotherhood isn't here to take over, or change the way you live. The Brotherhood of Steel is here for _you_ , and we intend to do everything we can to help you. We helped the Capital Wasteland when it was in need, and let us do the same for you," I said, and she scribbled it down. "Is that the kind of thing you wanted?"

"It's fine. What do you want me to put your name down as?" she asked.

I smiled to myself. "Put me down as the Lone Wanderer." She looked up, and raised her eyebrow. "There's a reason behind it, trust me."

"Okay, I can use this for my next story." She put her writing things in her pocket, and looked over to the young newspaper seller. "Hey, Nat, it's getting late, why don't you head on in?" she called to her.

"Oh wow, it is late. Say, do you know how far away Goodneighbor is?" I asked Piper.

"Not that far, but it's pretty dangerous getting there," she said.

"That's fine. I'm just checking Diamond City out; can you give me one place to visit? Somewhere interesting." I looked down at my Pip-Boy, scanning the pathways to find the shortest route. The shortest was usually the more dangerous, but I was starting to get impatient as I grew more tired.

"There's Valentine's Detective Agency. You might like that." She pointed me in the right direction, and I waved to her as I headed off. A detective agency was both reassuring, and worrying. Did people go missing that much to warrant someone dedicating their profession to it? Still, I liked the sound of meeting a detective, and I especially liked the neon signs direction me there. Light and colour were usually absent from the Capital Wasteland.

The agency itself was a very small room, down a narrow corridor. There were two desks, one in the corner, and one directly in front of me, and there were people sat by both of them, a man and a woman. The woman was in front of me, and I smiled at her.

"Hello, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" I asked, struggling to close the door behind me without tripping over a chair.

"Do you want to file a missing persons report?" the woman asked wearily.

I shook my head. "No, I'm just looking around, if that's all right?"

"Fine, just don't mess anything up." The woman sighed, leaning her elbow on the table and resting her head on her hand. I walked over to the man in the corner, and stood by his desk. He was wearing a trench coat, and fedora, so I made the educated guess that he was the detective.

"What's your name?" I asked, smiling.

"Nick Valentine," he replied, turning to look at me. I was startled by his appearance. He had some kind of artificial skin, some of which was missing, exposing the wires and circuitry beneath, and he had glowing yellow eyes.

I swallowed, and held out a hand. "I'm Harmony Grace, nice to meet you."

"Well that's a refreshing change. I thought you Brotherhood types hated all synths." He stood up, and I sat on the edge of his desk.

"Do you get a lot of work around here?" I asked, shifting uncomfortably. If I was completely honest with myself, I didn't know what my stance on synths was. Before then, I'd only ever met one, and I'd originally turned him in to his owner, but then had a crisis of conscience, and revealed to the person that he was an android, and that his owner wanted to take him back. The android then gave me permission to kill his owner, and bodyguard, which I did, but not after collecting the reward from him. After that, I could never look at the person in the same way, knowing that he was actually a machine, but it didn't make me dislike him.

I realised I'd zoned out while Nick was talking to me, and I hadn't taken in any of it. "So, is there anything else you need?"

"No, I'd better be setting off anyway. I've got one last settlement to visit." I stood up straight, and headed for the door. Nick adjusted his hat using his robotic hand, and I stared at it uneasily. I blurted out goodbye, and left hurriedly. So many times I'd listening to Maxson talking about how synths shouldn't be allowed to exist, and agreed with him, that I felt quite disloyal, but I wasn't sure who to. To him, or to me, and my basic sense of human decency. Then again, it had been several years since someone last called me nice.

I could take my mind off my inner moral turmoil as I walked through the ruins of Boston, since it was full of raiders and super mutants. I'd learned their tactics, so it wasn't difficult to predict how they'd be set out, and what their defences would be like. The raiders in the Commonwealth seemed to be slightly smarter, as they had turrets set up outside their camps. Not smart enough though, because they picked a fight with me. The only ones I couldn't deal with were ones high up, but it was easy enough to just dart around the nearest building, because by the time they got down to the ground, they would've lost me.

I spent about half an hour simply trying to find the entrance to Goodneighbor, as I had taken a wrong turning somewhere trying to avoid a super mutant holding a primed mini nuke. There were never any of those in the Capital Wasteland, but I had an instinct to shoot anything emitting a high pitched beeping and shouting at me. It was almost completely dark by the time I finally arrived, but my escapades in the ruins had made more awake than I was previously.

There were a few people milling around, though none of them looked particularly approachable. I decided I'd wait until morning to talk to people, and as I walked through the town, I saw a hotel. The town wasn't particularly big, though it had seemed enormous when I had to walk round most of the perimeter outside. Quite a lot of people were sleeping outside, on sleeping bags and under shelters, if they had them. I quickly walked past them, and into the hotel, before my pity escalated.

I bought a room as fast as possible, and then ran upstairs as soon as the woman had given me the key. I didn't trust most of the people there, and from what I'd seen and heard walking through it, I gathered that this was where people who weren't allowed into Diamond City came. I couldn't think of a reason why anyone would come here willingly.

It was rather cold in the hotel room, so I didn't bother getting undressed, and I climbed into bed fully clothed. I also kept my laser rifle nearby, just in case. I lay on my back looking up at the ceiling, going over the events of the day in my head. Hopefully if I woke up early enough, I'd be able to look around the town a little, and then be back at Boston Airport before sunset.

My cheeks flushed when I remembered my argument with Maxson, and not with anger, but embarrassment. It was a low blow of mine, insinuating that Sarah's death was her own fault. Maxson thought she was perfect, and he'd idolised her. It had been nine years since, and he had been eleven at the time, but I knew exactly how he felt. I resolved to apologise to him, and then pray that he'd forgive me. He probably would. We'd said worse to each other and moved past it.

I turned onto my side, and curled up into a ball, and slowly fell asleep while trying to block out that bad memories that had surfaced.

* * *

 **I am very pleased with how this story is going so far, and I'm glad to see that people like it, or are interested in it given the amount of follows it's gotten. Every follow, favourite and review means a lot to me, and I would say everyone who reads this, but the view count for this story is broken and is stuck at zero, but still, thanks to everyone out there reading this.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this, and any kind of feedback is very welcome.**


	5. Chapter 5

I didn't have to worry about waking up late, as a gunshot startled me, and I fell out of bed attempting to rapidly grab my laser rifle. I straightened myself out as soon possible, despite the fact there was no one there to protect my dignity from. It was eight in the morning, which seemed a perfect time to quickly go around the town and then make my way back to the airport. There was no one at the front desk when I went downstairs, so I left the key on the counter.

My first stop in town was a place called The Third Rail, which I guessed was some kind of bar, and I tended to spend a lot of time in those sorts of establishments, even though I never usually drank much. I preferred to have my wits about me. Not that I always made sensible decisions when I was sober.

The Third Rail was like most other bars that I'd ever been in, but it did have the unique feature of having a live singer. She smirked at me as I walked in, and a few others turned to look at me like I was intruding on something. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to cover the insignias on my arms with my hands. Something told me that the Brotherhood of Steel _might_ not be welcome in a place like this.

In the back was a VIP area, though no one seemed to mind when I just walked straight in. There was one person in there, and he stared at me for a good few seconds before approaching me. "Hey, do you know someone called MacCready?" he asked, trying to suppress a smile.

"Yeah, he was the bratty kid mayor of a child only society. He wasn't a bad kid once I got to know him, and once he stopped threatening to shoot me. He actually called me his friend at one point. I haven't seen him for a few years, though." I folded my arms, and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

He looked at me doubtfully, and finally the penny dropped. "You're MacCready, aren't you?" I said.

"Don't you recognise me?" He smiled, tilting his hat up. Honestly, no, I didn't recognise him at all. I still wasn't entirely sure that it was actually him, but I couldn't think of a reason why anyone would _want_ to pretend to be him.

"No, what are you doing here? Not a mayor still?"

He laughed, looking vaguely embarrassed. "No, I'm a mercenary now."

"That doesn't surprise me." I shook my head. It felt so unreal to be talking to him. It must have been at least six or seven years since we last talked. When I'd last visited Little Lamplight, it had been after MacCready turned sixteen, and he was forced to leave the place due to their no-adult policy. I always seemed to be the exception to everything.

"Y'know, I should've figured you'd turn up here, since the Brotherhood showed up," he said.

"You should've figured that regardless. Did you really think you'd be able to get away from me?" I grinned. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, but I better get going."

"Sure. See you around, Harmony."

I turned on my heels, and waved. "Later, mungo."

"Bi- _jerk_ ," he corrected himself swearing. That was all the proof I needed to know that he'd changed. He used to swear more than anyone I knew, despite being twelve.

There wasn't much else to do in town. A building called The Memory Den intrigued me, but when I peered in the door and saw the posters on the wall, I gathered that it wasn't my kind of place and left hurriedly. Two merchants were situated near the entrance, one was a robot selling weaponry and the other was a ghoul selling just about everything else. I didn't need to buy anything, so I was about to leave when someone called me back.

"Hey, leaving so soon? I was told we had a newcomer last night, but I was too occupied to welcome you then," he said, slowly walking up to me. He was a ghoul, wearing fancy clothes and an admittedly cool tri-corner hat.

"I'm just passing through. I'm new to the area, so I've been visiting some settlements to see what it's like around here. This town is... nice." I smiled, straining for a compliment. I was ashamed to be so uncomfortable with more destitute locations, since they were the kind of places where I started off, and for some time, where I felt I belonged.

"You think this place is a dump, don't you?" he said, and I felt my cheeks flushing. "Well, maybe it is, but some people aren't allowed to live luxuriously. We've got to stick together, you see? And not give a damn what people like you think."

I rubbed the back of my neck, smiling awkwardly. "I don't, I mean, I get what you're talking about. And it's good that somewhere like here exists. You don't find many places like this in the Capital Wasteland. There used to be, but the Brotherhood kind of sorted things out."

"Hm. You guys just be sure to stay away from Goodneighbor, you hear me? I just think that as mayor, I should make that clear." He took a knife out of his pocket and twirled it around with his fingers rather impressively.

"Affirmative, uh, loud and clear." My awkward smile grew bigger. "Don't worry. As long as you don't cause a problem for us, we'll leave you alone." I crossed my fingers behind my back, as this wasn't the complete truth. When the ghoul-only town of Underworld had been, as it was so harshly put, purged, the only one they'd caused a problem for was me. The Brotherhood told me that it would've had to be done sooner later, when they inevitably turned feral, but the guilt still surfaced from time to time.

The mayor took a step closer to me, half smiling. "Glad we got that cleared. Now, is there anything this fair town can do for you?"

"No, I've got all I need, I think. I have important business to be attending to," I said, trying to sound dignified. Before I walked out the front gate, I turned around and looked back at him, smiling naturally. "It was nice meeting you."

I found that I could cut time off my return journey by simply going across a nearby bridge, which would mean I could avoid going past Diamond City again. However, my time saving plan was interrupted by me finding something interesting along the way. It was an old church, with a red brick path leading up the front door. My curiosity got the better of me, and I entered the church carefully, unsure of what would be inside. Luckily, it was just ghouls, and not fanatical religious people who worshipped an unexploded atomic bomb.

I walked around the church slowly, listening to all the creaks and groans of the old building. There was dust _everywhere_ , and I shoved my hands in my pockets to avoid touching anything. Near the entrance was a doorway, with some kind of symbol painted above it, and if I wasn't intrigued before, I certainly was now. It led to stairs downwards, and then a stone corridor with yet more feral ghouls ambling around until I showed up, at which point they launched themselves at me, screaming just in case others in the area hadn't noticed. I'd fought so many of things in dark metros that they didn't scare me anymore. I still knew the fear though. That was something I'd never forget.

I soon arrived at what appeared to be a dead end, but there was a circular seal on the wall, and I could turn the wheel that had words on it, and press the inner circle. It must've been to enter a password, but I had no idea what it was, or where to even begin guessing. I attempted to enter "Let me in", but then realised there wasn't an N.

I looked around to see if there was any kind of security camera, because there _had_ to be people beyond the walls. I couldn't see anything, and I banged my fist against the wall and waited. Nothing happened, and I shrugged to myself and made my way out, though I did look back just before I left, but all I saw was emptiness.

The trip back to Boston Airport took a few hours, as I had to slowly sneak past a Yao Guai. I hated those damn bears, and I didn't have Vengeance with me to tear through it with ease. I wandered around the airport aimlessly for a while, unsure of what to do with myself. I _could_ have offered my help to people, but I didn't exactly feel like being an errand girl. I wondered if there were any cupboards or closets I could hide in, like I did at the Citadel when I wanted to avoid people, or just wanted some place private.

While doing this, I bumped into Scribe Nico, literally, and sent the stack of papers he was holding flying everywhere. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry, you don't have to help, it's fine," he stammered, his face flushing scarlet. I leant my laser rifle against a wall, and gathered up most of his papers while he stood biting the skin around his thumb.

"It's my fault; I wasn't looking where I was going. Lost in thought, you know how it is." I waved my hand in the air flippantly, and tried to line the papers up neatly, but I couldn't get the hang of it. He shyly took them off me, and had them neat and orderly within seconds.

"Thank you, um; do you need any help with anything? Or-or do you just want to be left alone? If you do, I'll just go; I've got _so_ much paperwork to do anyway." He straightened his glasses, shaking his head.

I tilted my head to one side. "You couldn't find me a spare terminal, could you? I have a report I need to write."

"Sure, just follow me." His eyes lit up, and he walked hurriedly away, and I stayed a few paces behind him, unable to catch up. He stopped abruptly, and I walked into him again. I smiled apologetically, and he shook his head.

"Thanks Nico, I won't keep you any longer," I said, and a wide smile spread across his face as he saw I remembered his name. He scurried away, though I kind of wished he'd stayed. I loved the adoration he had for me, since it wasn't something that I had a lot of anymore. I hadn't done anything amazing, or spectacular in years, so most people just treated me like any other member of the Brotherhood. While the fame had been getting annoying, I found that I missed being someone special.

I sighed to myself, and removed the holotape from my Pip-Boy and inserted into the terminal. My notes were confusing, and rambling, and one section made absolutely no sense, but I had a feeling I'd written it after accidentally injecting myself with psycho. This was going to be a more difficult job than I thought, sorting everything out and making it coherent.

To break up the tedium, I also began writing diary entries, as more than a few people had told me that it helped it to write things down. I found that it usually had no effect, but they were occasionally amusing to read. I gradually became absorbed in doing this, though I remembered to cover my screen whenever someone walked past. My fingers ached with typing, but I persevered on until I realised that the sun had gone down.

* * *

 **This chapter caused some problems for me, as I got stuck with it about halfway through. I managed to get past it though, and I'm happy with how I did it. I did worry for a while that this would the point at which I gave up, like I've done so many times before, but thankfully not.**

 **Thank you for reading this, I hope you enjoyed, and any feedback is very much welcome.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Several days later, I was walking around the airport trying to look busy, when I noticed Dexter sprinting through the entrance, shortly followed by Danse who was failing to keep up with him. Dexter slowed to an awkward jog once he saw that people were staring at him, and I walked quickly up to him.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, and he motioned with his hands, though I couldn't understand what he was trying to tell. I continued walking alongside him, and then he got onto the vertibird to take us up to the Prydwen. He held his hand up for the pilot to wait while Danse caught up, and on the journey upwards I tried asking Dexter my question again, but when he opened his mouth to speak, the only noise that came out was a wheeze.

Dexter leapt off the vertibird onto the flight deck before it had fully come to a stop, landing on his hands and knees. He scrambled to his feet, and ran inside. I attempted to go after him, and I reached the door just as it slammed in my face and I staggered backwards, and probably would've tumbled down the steps had Danse not caught me. We walked inside normally, and stood with Dexter as tried to catch his breath and talk to Maxson. Dexter gestured vaguely, and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, and eventually gave up and let Danse explain.

"We think we've found a way to get into the Institute," Danse said, and Dexter nodded, breathing heavily.

"That's excellent news. How?" Maxson asked, looking mildly concerned at Dexter, who'd gone a very interesting shade of red and purple.

"They use a teleporter to relay in and out." Danse steadied Dexter as he stood upright too quickly, and nearly stumbled over. "But we have to build a signal interceptor in order to do it."

"That explains how we've never been able to find them." Maxson took the piece of paper from Dexter, nodding at whatever was written on it. He usually did that when he didn't understand something. "Report to Proctor Ingram. She'll be able to help you build it."

"Affirmative," Dexter said, having recovered enough to speak. He turned to me. "Harmony, would you mind helping me?"

"I'll be with you in a few minutes; I just have something I need to do up here first." I put my hands on my hips. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything, and he and Danse walked off. I faced Maxson, and he looked at me expectantly.

I couldn't keep up my aloof demeanour any longer, and sighed and let my hands fall to my sides. "About the other day, I'm sorry. I was being childish."

"I... I'm sorry too," he said, looking down at the floor like he used to when he was a child. There was an awkward pause. "I trust your visits to the different settlements went well."

"They're not too different to anything I saw in D.C. And like there, I'm not popular amongst the people," I said casually, like it didn't bother me. He knew me too well, and saw straight through my attempt at lying. "I don't think we need to flag any of them as troublesome just yet. There was this one place that was a bit dubious, but nothing bad happened while I was there."

"Excellent. Well. I won't keep you any longer, since Knight Harper has requested your assistance."

I went to leave, but I stopped just before I reached the doorway, and turned back to look at him. "You didn't happen to bring my power armour here, did you?"

"I did indeed. It's in bay four downstairs." He folded his arms. "Why do you need it?"

"Oh, no reason."

"You're going to jump down to the airport, aren't you?" he asked.

"And you're going to watch me do it, aren't you?" I smiled devilishly, and hurried down to the main deck where the power armour was stored. I recognised my suit immediately, since I'd spent a month customising it. I'd painted the Brotherhood insignia on one arm, and the numbers _101_ on the other. I seemed to have a reference to the vault I came from on everything, and that was mainly because it was how people identified me. I didn't feel any loyalty to my former home, given that I'd been kicked out of there twice.

Normally when I used my power armour, I'd wear the Brotherhood of Steel uniform, but I was only going to be in it for a few minutes, and I didn't want to go through the unnecessary hassle. And the uniform was really tight. It did mean that my trench coat was bunched up uncomfortably at the back, and I got my hair caught in the helmet. I'd been meaning to get my hair cut for a while, as I often forget to tie it up, and even when I did, it usually came loose after a short time. I never was good at getting myself organised.

I'd forgotten how much effort it took to walk in power armour, and I spent an embarrassing amount of time simply trying to remember how to move my limbs. I eventually managed to get moving, and I had to remind myself that I was now bigger, and heavier than I'd normally be, so that I didn't accidentally bump into people and crush their feet under mine.

Maxson was waiting on the flight deck, and he suppressed a grin as I misplaced my footing on the steps, and had to make a desperate grab for the handrail. I glared at him, though he couldn't see it. Looking over the edge of the Prydwen made me very glad that I didn't have a fear of heights. My fears were far more irrational.

I took a deep breath, and vaulted over the railing, pressing my lips together tightly to stop myself from screaming. I landed on the ground with a very loud thud, and I waited a few seconds before standing upright. It was a short walk into the actual airport, but I'd learnt not to jump off high structures into crowded areas while wearing power armour. There tended to be a shockwave.

Dexter was in an outdoor waiting area, looking confusedly at some paper, and a large pile of building materials on the floor. He glanced up at me as I approached him. "I'm very busy right now," he muttered, exhaling heavily.

"I can see that," I said, and took my helmet off. "I'm here to help."

"I'd be very grateful if you could help. These instructions are... you take a look." He shoved the paper into my hand, and started moving stuff around on the floor with his foot. I scanned the diagram draw on it, and the scribbles around it. I had experience reading bad handwriting, so I quickly worked out what it said. I didn't understand _how_ it would work, but I could make a decent attempt at building it.

I first needed to get out of my power armour, and I parked it in a far off corner to do so, and then returned to Dexter. "First, we need to make a reflector platform, and then you'll need to go back to Ingram for the rest of the parts."

"You actually understand this?" he said, sounding shocked.

"Not exactly, but I reckon I can get this thing working, and that's all that matters." I sat down on the floor, and he joined me, and we both sorted the pieces out into piles while I explained what we'd need to do. I didn't use any terminology, but that probably would've confused him more.

"How are you so good at this?" he asked, as we began work on constructing the platform.

I shrugged. "I helped build the Prydwen, so I guess you could say I have experience."

"How did you get involved with the Brotherhood?" He looked up at me, a look of genuine curiosity on his face.

"Life story time, is it? Well, I should start at the beginning. I grew up in a vault, Vault 101, and it was meant to be that no one entered, and no one left. That turned out to be a complete lie, since me and my father came from outside. My father was a scientist, and he was working on Project Purity in the Jefferson Memorial. This was a project to bring clean water to the Capital Wasteland, but progress halted on that when my mother died in childbirth, with me, and my father talked his way into Vault 101 so that I'd be safe.

"However, when I was nineteen, my father left the vault. The overseer flipped, and he had my father's friend killed, and he was coming for me next. My only friend, the overseer's daughter, got to me first, and she helped me escape the vault, though I killed half the security force on the way, which kind of prepared me for life in the wasteland. My first initiative was to find my father, and after a lot of searching, I did. He was stuck in a simulation as a dog; don't ask about that that was weird.

"He was determined to get Project Purity working, and he'd actually found a way. He teamed up with Dr. Li, and all the other scientists in Rivet City, and we started work on it." I paused, and swallowed hard. "While working on it, the Enclave took an interest. They demanded that my father hand Project Purity over to them. My father refused and... And he and Colonel Autumn, from the Enclave, were locked in the main control room. To try and get them to leave, my father flooded the room with radiation. I watched him die."

Dexter patted me on the shoulder awkwardly, and I wiped my eyes to get rid of the tears that had formed, and continued with my story. "Dr. Li and I needed to escape, and we ended up at the Citadel, where the Brotherhood was. Elder Lyons was in charge then, and he agreed to help us drive out the Enclave. I wiped those bastards off the face of the earth."

"That's very impressive."

"Hardest, most turbulent four months of my life. After I'd done all that, I took time off. I became a slave, simulated the Battle of Anchorage, got abducted by aliens, and ate some weird fruit," I said, managing to keep a straight face as he looked at me in utter confusion. "I came back to find out the Elder Lyons had died, and his daughter, Sentinel Sarah Lyons had taken over. She died not long after, in battle, and there was a leadership crisis. Even then, some people looked to the descendent of the founder of the Brotherhood. I was appointed to be the bodyguard of him, since he was only eleven, and he knew me quite well."

"What happened then?" Dexter leaned forward interestedly.

I smiled to myself. "He grew up to become the youngest elder in the history of the Brotherhood, at age sixteen."

Dexter blinked at me for a couple of seconds, and then it hit him. "You were Elder Maxson's bodyguard? Why have I never heard of you?"

"Despite the fact he'd proved himself to be a competent leader, it wasn't really surprising that some people found it hard to look up to him when they saw he had a five foot three bodyguard who was tougher than he was. When he became elder, we both agreed that I just wouldn't be mentioned. I kind of wanted to fall off the radar, anyway." I shrugged. "Sometimes it works, and it sounds like he's done some pretty impressive things, which he has. Other times, it sounds like a complete lie. Have you heard the story of he got that scar on his face?"

"It was in a fight with a deathclaw when he fourteen, wasn't it?"

"He did get it in a fight with a deathclaw, but he didn't fire a single shot at it. We were walking somewhere, and I was distracted by something, and then suddenly there was a deathclaw in front of him. I got its attention by hitting it in the face with my Gatling laser, but it still managed to claw at his face. I ripped the thing to shreds, and then had to give him impromptu stitches. So he has a badass scar because of me."

"You've led a very exciting life," Dexter commented.

"What about you?" I asked, and he tensed. "I know a bit about you already, from that interview you did for the newspaper in Diamond City."

He sighed. "That's why I need to get to the Institute. They have my son, and they're going to pay."

"Can I give you some advice? Revenge is something you're going to regret later. Trust me from my years of experience."

"I don't care. They're all going down, them and their machines," he said, saying the last word with particular venom in his voice.

"Do you have a problem with robots?"

He looked around, biting his lower lip, and then frowned. "I don't like them, okay?"

"Why?" I asked, out of pure curiosity. I'd made friends with several robots, though the Brotherhood didn't approve of such relationships. Thinking about it, I hadn't been to see any of my robotic friends for a long time. Next time I was in Megaton, I needed to remember to visit Wadsworth, my Mr. Handy butler.

Dexter looked at me nervously, and sighed again. "When I was in the military, I was nearly killed by a Mr. Gutsy. Something in it had malfunctioned, and it identified me as a communist, and said I needed to die. I ended up having to beat the thing to death with a chair. The other soldiers were impressed, but I was traumatised. Refused to go near any machines for six weeks afterwards. I have a permanent reminder of it as well. It gave me this," he said, pointing to the burn scar on the left side of his jaw.

"Oh," I said, unable to think up a better response.

"Nora wanted me to get over my fear of robots, so she bought us a Mr. Handy unit." He smiled softly to himself, but it was quickly replaced by a look of sadness.

"Nora?"

"My wife. She said the robot would be useful for us around the house. Especially with Shaun."

I paused tactfully. "Did her idea work?"

"Not much. I still hate robots. Codsworth was... okay, though." Dexter shook his head, and looked at me properly. "You won't tell anyone about that, will you?"

"Of course not," I said, and he flashed me a quick grateful smile. We had nearly finished building the reflector platform when Danse showed up, looking somewhat distressed. I'd been wondering where he was, since I'd gathered that he and Dexter were travelling together.

"You've made good progress," Danse commented. He looked slightly annoyed when he saw me, but he quickly smoothed his face out.

I smiled at him, holding up a hammer and part of the platform. "Hitting things until they stay in place is my specialty."

"Danse, are you all right?" Dexter asked delicately, or at least as delicate as he could manage. Danse nodded, glancing at me significantly. I guessed that he wanted some alone time, and I planned to go speak to Ingram, but after fitting the last piece into place, Dexter got up and went before I had the chance.

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay, this chapter was difficult, but I'm fairly pleased with the end result of it. I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading, and any kind of feedback is very welcome.**


	7. Chapter 7

It took us about three days to finish building the signal interceptor. Would've taken less time, had I not accidentally hammered something into the wrong place, and we had to dismantle part of it and start again. It was a lot easier having two people assisting me, especially as neither of them seemed to mind taking orders from me. Ingram came to help us after the platform had been built, but she just kept out of our way and did her own thing. Maxson also joined us, but he stood back and watched.

"Is this thing actually going to work?" I asked Ingram, as Danse and Dexter were both attempting to wire the different parts together.

"Well, it should do," she replied. "We've never tried anything like this, so there's no saying what it's going to do. Fingers crossed, it teleports Knight Harper into the Institute."

"And if it doesn't?"

"I don't want to think about what could happen if this goes wrong." She shook her head, and went over to the console to press buttons, which looked very important.

I had a newfound respect for Dexter. If Ingram wasn't sure, then Dexter must've been completely clueless. He was risking his life to find his son. He was heading into some great unknown, with no idea what was going to be on the other side. He was brave, and reckless, and I realised why I liked him. He reminded me of myself.

"Proctor Ingram, I think it's ready," Dexter said, having to speak loudly to be heard above the noise of the signal interceptor.

"I'm getting some energy readings. If you have anything you need to do first, I suggest you do it now," she said, not looking up from the console.

Danse pulled Dexter aside, and out of earshot, but I could still watch them. I'd never mastered the art of lip reading, and both of them were very inexpressive in their body language, so it was impossible for me to know what they were talking about. At one point, Dexter said something that flustered Danse, and I smiled to myself, and then turned away quickly once they started walking back over.

Dexter took a deep breath, and went up to Ingram. "I'm ready."

"Just step on the platform." Ingram pointed absentmindedly, still too absorbed with whatever was on the console. It seemed to be mostly flashing lights, but it made sense to her. I hoped it did. Dexter stood on the platform, clasping his hands behind his back to stop them from shaking. I smiled reassuringly at him, but he wasn't looking at me.

Ingram and Maxson both gave Dexter instructions on what to do once he was inside. He had to use a network scanner to get information on the Institute, and recruit Dr. Li. The last one surprised me, but then I remember that Dr. Li had gone to the Commonwealth once the purifier had been activated. I never got to say goodbye to her, since I was in a coma for two weeks afterwards. I looked forward to seeing her again, but I doubted the feeling would be mutual. She found me irritating, and difficult.

There was a sudden blinding flash of light, and I shielded my eyes. After a few seconds, I lowered my hands, and saw that Dexter was no longer on the platform. Hopefully, that meant he was in the Institute. Or he'd been completely vaporized, but I preferred not to think about that. The signal interceptor had also burned up, which was annoying, since I'd spent so much time and effort on it.

After an uncomfortable silence I said, "So, what now?"

"We wait for when Knight Harper comes back," Ingram replied.

"You mean if he comes back," I said. Danse's head jerked like I'd slapped him, and I realised what I'd said. "I didn't mean it like that, I meant... okay, I don't know _what_ I meant. But I'm sure it'll work, and it'll all be fine."

Danse didn't look entirely convinced. "Right. Elder Maxson, what are your orders for me?"

"Head up to the Prydwen, and await further instructions," Maxson said. Danse nodded, and walked away, looking back nervously at the signal interceptor. I didn't have a huge amount of faith in the contraption myself, especially as it had destroyed itself doing its intended function.

"And what about my orders?" I asked. I reached out and touched part of the relay dish, and it crumbled away. Ingram shook her head at me, and after pressing one final button on the console, she left, presumably to go work on other things.

"Weren't you compiling a report on the Mojave?" Maxson asked.

"Oh, I finished that a couple of days ago." I lifted my wrist up, and ejected the holotape from my Pip-Boy, and handed it to him. "Here you go. I tried to write it officially, but honestly that was boring, so it's a bit more, lively, shall we say? It's also really long."

"I'm sure it will make for excellent reading," he said, flipping the holotape over to read what I'd written on it in marker pen. I'd underestimated the size of the pen, so my writing was barely legible.

I half-smiled. "You always used to love listening to my stories."

"You're a magnet for interesting."

"Too right. If only interesting didn't go hand in hand with danger." I rolled down the sleeves of my shirt, and went to retrieve my coat, which I'd thrown onto a chair. "But it was nice to get out for a bit."

Maxson frowned. "I thought you liked being a part of the Brotherhood."

"Oh I do, I love it. But I miss adventuring, I miss wandering. Before I went to the Mojave, it had been years since I last did anything like that." I sighed heavily. "Especially after you decided you didn't need me anymore."

"I never said I didn't need you _exactly_. I didn't want, I mean, I'm capable of handling myself, so you didn't _have_ to be with me all the time. Not that I didn't want you, but-" Maxson burbled, until I held my hand up and he stopped talking.

"It's fine. I'm an adult now, I can deal with it." I put my coat on, and he smirked.

"I must've missed that happening."

"Hey, no talking back mister. I could still beat you in a fight, and you know it," I threatened jokingly. "Now, is there anything you need me to do?"

He opened his mouth, and then closed it again, thinking. "Not presently. You're free to do whatever you want until I have something for you."

"I think I'm going to stick around here for a bit, actually. I'm sure I can find _some_ way of making myself useful." I picked the hammer up from the floor. "Know anything that needs a good hammering?"

"I'm sure you'll find something."

We stood around awkwardly for a few seconds. "Well, I'll see you around," I said, and nodded. I went to leave, but just before I went round the corner, I looked back at him. "Later Maxie."

* * *

 **A shorter chapter than usual, but I didn't want it to end up being too fillery. And I'd spent too long dithering on what to do for this one, and I was starting to worry I'd never get it written. Still, I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading, and remember that any kind of feedback is much appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8

**There will be major plot spoilers from here on out.**

* * *

I busied myself by avoiding doing any actual work, which ended up being work in of itself, as some people had started to get wise to my various hiding places. I found one place that people rarely ever went, which was an old crashed airplane towards the back of the airport. I'd only ever seen one person go there, but they didn't notice me hiding behind the seats. They seemed to have their own reason for going there, and they only passed through on their way somewhere else.

I was hiding there one day when I heard the door to the main airport open, and I scrunched down further, trying to peer through the gaps in the seats, but the person had already moved out of viewing range. I heard their footsteps inside the airplane, and I stayed as still as possible.

"Harmony?" Dexter called. I popped my head up above the seats, and he looked at me with a mixture of confusion and disappointment. He walked over to where I was, and after failing to find a suitable place to sit, kneeled on the floor in front of me, avoiding the bits of debris still lying around.

"How'd it go?" I asked indistinctly, as my mouth was full of Sugar Bombs. I offered him the box, and he shook his head.

"I made it into the Institute, and..." He furrowed his brow, as if he wasn't quite sure what had happened.

"And?" I prompted him.

He ran a hand through his hair, causing it stick up even more. "The initial reason I wanted to go to the Institute was to find my son." He paused, frowning.

"Was he not there?" I suggested, readying my best sympathetic look, but he shook his head again.

"Sort of. I-I found my son, but... but he's not really my son anymore."

I put the box of cereal down, and shifted closer to him. "How?" I asked, hoping that it sounded delicate.

"When I was frozen, I didn't know how much time had passed. I thought my son was still a baby, and then I thought he was ten, but those were both wrong. My son, Shaun, is sixty, and... and he's the director of the Institute."

"Oh my." I covered my mouth with my hand.

He screwed his eyes shut, and exhaled heavily. "I don't know what to do about it."

"Well, he's still you son, isn't he?" I said, and he opened his eyes, and looked at me somewhat pityingly.

"I've missed his entire life. He was raised by other people. How can I _ever_ be his father?"

"You could still try, couldn't you? It's not too late," I said, desperately trying to reassure him.

"Don't you understand? The Institute is what is wrong with this place. And my son is the leader of them." He looked as if still couldn't quite believe it. "No. He's not my son anymore."

I didn't know how to respond to him, mainly because I couldn't think of a good counterargument. All I could do was offer him the words that had been used on me many times. "You do what you think is right."

"I will." He sighed, and then stood up. "I should go report into Elder Maxson. I'll leave you to your cereal."

I smiled, and held the box up to him. He raised his eyebrows, but he quickly took a handful of cereal and crammed it into his mouth. I laughed, and the corners of his mouth flickered, and he turned and walked away.

After ten minutes, I'd finished the box of the cereal, and I surveyed the area before heading back into the airport. Dexter was talking with Proctor Ingram, and I jogged over to see what was going on. Ingram was explaining about this special project the Brotherhood was working on, and when she said that she would show him, I tagged along, since no one had told me anything about it.

It was a short walk to the end of the corridor, and Ingram used a terminal to unlock the garage door next to her. It lifted up, revealing a room with various robotic parts on shelves. Most of them didn't make sense to me, but the head was very familiar to me.

Before Ingram could say anything, she was cut off by me squealing rather loudly. "Liberty Prime! You're rebuilding him," I said, bouncing up and down on the spot.

"Yeah, we're trying to," Ingram said, startled by the incredibly high pitched noise I made.

"What's a Liberty Prime?" Dexter asked.

"Liberty Prime is the most advanced robot the Brotherhood has at its disposal-" Ingram began to explain, but I interrupted again.

"He's basically a walking super weapon. He was used back in the Capital Wasteland, in the fight against the Enclave. But he got destroyed during combat, but now he's _back_." I smiled excitedly, but then a thought hit me, and I frowned. "Wait, _why_ are we rebuilding him?"

"I'm guessing this is for the fight against the Institute?" Dexter said, folding his arms behind his back.

Ingram nodded. "Affirmative. And since you convinced Dr. Li to return, it should be easier to get him up and running. We'll still need your help with some things, though."

"Of course, but I have some other things I need to attend to first, if that's all right?" Dexter asked, and then he turned to me. "I'd like it if you would come with me, Harmony."

"Oh sure. Can you just give me a minute?" I gave him eye signals to go, and he did, though he looked as if he hadn't a clue what I meant. I looked to Ingram, and folded my arms.

"He seems to like you a lot," she said.

"Really?" I replied, perhaps a bit too eagerly.

"I haven't talked to him much, but I'd say so."

I couldn't help a smile spreading across my face, and Ingram walked off, having cleverly diverted me from ranting once again. Once I figured that out, I was somewhat annoyed, and kind of impressed. I stood outside the Liberty Prime storage room, waiting for Dexter to return. He came back with Danse, looking slightly edgy.

"Before we go anywhere, I have to pick something up," I said, already walking back down the corridor. Scribe Nico had let me use his storage container to keep Vengeance safe, since he said that he didn't have anything in it. He wasn't around when I got to it, but it didn't matter as none of the storage containers had locks on them. I found this strange, but I suppose it could be excused as a trust thing.

"That's an awfully big gun," Dexter said as I lifted Vengeance out of the metal box, and closed the lid with my foot.

"And for such a small girl. Now, where are we going?" I smiled at the two of them, and we made our way out of the airport.

"Sanctuary. It's my home," Dexter said, though there was uncertainty in his voice.

I tilted my head to one side. "I thought you came from a vault."

"I lived in Sanctuary before I went into the vault, before the war."

I pressed my tongue against the inside of my cheek, debating on whether or not to ask the question on my mind, and if he'd mind. In the end, my curiosity overwhelmed me. "What was it like before the war?"

"It's difficult to describe. I suppose everyone lived under the illusion of safety."

"Do you miss it?" Danse asked. He seemed surprised at himself.

Dexter paused, and sighed heavily. "I wish I could say I did, but... I feel like I have a purpose here."

"I wish I could say the same," I said, and they both looked at me confusedly, waiting for an explanation. I was waiting for an explanation as well. I didn't know _why_ I felt like I could be doing more, and it frustrated me. I stared straight at the road ahead of us silently, and neither of them said anything.

We walked quietly for a while, and I took this opportunity to look at both of them, Dexter in particular. It was difficult to do it subtly, since they were both so much taller than me, and not just because one of them was in power armour. I had the biggest gun though.

They didn't look too dissimilar, even having identical hair in the same style and colour, which I liked to think was intentional. There were plenty of differences between them, mainly that Dexter was a whole lot paler, and they had scars in different places. They were also both very attractive.

It was an hour into the five hour journey to Sanctuary that I regretted bringing Vengeance with me. My arms felt like they'd fall off at any moment, and my back was in absolutely agony. Dexter and Danse both offered to carry Vengeance for me at one point, but I declined, because my pride was more important than my health. The journey probably would've been shorter, but I kept asking to stop to stretch.

I wasn't sure what to think of Sanctuary. With a name like that, I'd expected it to be in good condition, with a lot of people living in comfort, but it was far from that. Several houses were nothing but rubble, and there were only six people there, as well as a Mr. Handy and a dog.

The dog came running up to us as soon it spotted us. It nuzzled up to my legs, and I set Vengeance on the floor to stroke it. A woman approached us soon after, holding a stick.

"I see Dogmeat likes you," she said, with a very heavy Irish accent.

I froze with my hand on the dog's head, looking up at the woman. "His name's Dogmeat? Seriously?"

"It's a weird name for a dog, I'll give you that." She hit the stick against the palm of her free hand.

"I used to have a dog called Dogmeat," I said quietly.

"Must be a popular name, or somethin'," she said.

Dexter went to talk to someone, and Danse followed him. Dogmeat ran after them as well, having suddenly noticed that they were there. I sighed, remembering my own Dogmeat. I'd found him one day in a scrap yard, and he'd been a faithful companion to me. I left him at home mostly after finding my father, but I took him out for walks as often as I could. My Dogmeat died a few years back, of natural causes I'd assumed.

"What's your name, then?" the woman asked.

"Harmony," I replied, and she smirked. I was used to people laughing at my name. At least I'd only given her my first one.

"I'm Cait. So, what're you doin' travelling around with Dexter?" She raised an eyebrow.

"We're both in the Brotherhood, and I've been assigned to work with him." I clasped my hands behind my back, and rolled my shoulders to try and get rid of the ache in them. "How do you know Dexter?"

"Me and him travelled together for a bit, before he replaced me with the tin can over there."

I furrowed my brow, wondering how the two met, but before I could ask, Dexter and Danse returned.

"Harmony, would you come with us?" Dexter asked, his voice softer than usual.

"Of course," I said, and picked Vengeance up.

Cait looked me up and down. "Compensatin' for something?"

I could feel my cheeks flushing, and I gave her an awkward smile and walked off as Dexter and Danse did. We went inside one of the houses, and from the careful way both of them stepped; I guessed that this was Dexter's house before the war. It wasn't in too bad condition, all things considered, and I wondered what it had looked like two hundred and ten years ago. Must've been nice.

Dexter walked around touching things, his face a mixture of sadness and confusion. Danse hung back near the doorway, and I did too, after Danse pulled me back by my shoulder. Dexter pulled a note off the fridge, and stared at it for a while, his lower lip trembling. He crumpled it up, and threw it on the floor as he walked out of the house.

"I need to be alone for a minute," he said as he walked past me and Danse. I put Vengeance down on the floor, and perched on the back of the couch, trying to think of how to break the somewhat awkward silence between me and Danse.

"How long have you and Dexter been together? I mean, travelling together," I said, and laughed nervously.

"A month or so. I sponsored his entry into our ranks," Danse replied.

"Well, if I ever had any doubts about his ability, I don't anymore, if you think he's good enough."

"He's outstanding," Danse said, and I smiled. Outstanding was practically Danse's catchphrase.

I put my hands on my knees, and leant forward slightly. "Danse?"

"Yes?"

I shook my head. "Never mind."

* * *

 **I have lost sleep over this chapter, but it's finally done. Apologies for the delay.  
**

 **Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and feedback of any kind is very much welcome.**


	9. Chapter 9

It was interesting just how many blasts from the past I'd gotten while in the Commonwealth. First MacCready, then Dogmeat, kind of, and now there was an even bigger one, Dr. Li, the woman who'd helped bring me into this world. In all honesty, I was surprised she was still alive. It had been ten years, and she was a hopeless fighter, as I learnt escorting her around the Capital Wasteland.

Dexter, Danse and I arrived back at the Prydwen a day or so later. We'd spent the night in Sanctuary, which was one of the less comfortable sleeps I'd had. For a place with half a dozen inhabitants, it was still very dilapidated. That would all be sorted when the Brotherhood won. _If_ we won.

We'd stopped in the airport to talk to Proctor Ingram about what she needed next, and it turned out we needed to convince Dr. Li to actually help us, despite she having apparently already agreed. She was waiting in the main deck, picking up tools and arranging them into size order. Dexter went to go talk to her, but I put my hand on his chest, and tried to sneak up behind her, but I tripped over a wrench.

"Harmony, you're still around I see," Dr. Li said, folding her arms. I straightened up, smiling.

"I'm wouldn't leave _that_ easily. You would, though." I raised my eyebrows, and she frowned.

"Do you have anything important to say, or do you just want to behave like a child, as always?" she said irritably. It was like stepping back in time.

I continued smiling, clasping my hands behind my back. "I _do_ have something important to say. You promised Dexter over there you would help us, did you not?"

"I didn't know it was going to be on Liberty Prime."

"Dr. Li, the Brotherhood wouldn't use so many resources on him if they didn't think it was necessary. And you know they're going to use him to make the Commonwealth a better place. Trust me. Would I lie to you?" I said, crossing my fingers behind my back.

She sighed, shaking her head. "You may be irritating sometimes, but you're right. Fine. I'll go see Proctor Ingram immediately."

"Ad victoriam." I saluted her as she walked past, and she rolled her eyes at me. I scratched my face with my middle finger not so subtly in her direction, and both Dexter and Danse looked at me disapprovingly.

"I should also go, and see what my next task is. Are you coming?" Dexter asked.

"Come and get me if you need me. I'm tired after all that walking." I adjusted my boots, wishing I could take them off, but there were tiny screws and bits of metal dotted around the floor, and I didn't enjoy having my foot perforated.

The two walked off, and I wandered around the power armour stations aimlessly, occasionally looking at what people were doing. It was mostly repairs, as everything seemed to break down on the ship at least once, including some of the people. I ended up sorting the tools and materials out, and making the workbenches tidy, which was incredibly boring, but I wanted to feel like I was actually helping out.

I sang quietly to myself as I did, having learned the words to nearly all the songs that played on Galaxy News Radio. It was a shame I couldn't get signal for it in the Commonwealth, not even after I'd risked my life to get a satellite dish out of a super mutant infested building. My Pip-Boy picked up two radio stations, but neither of them could possibly have a DJ as good as Three Dog. And neither of them would talk about me, and my accomplishments, and admittedly, my failures. It was like nothing happened in the Capital Wasteland that didn't involve me.

I grew absorbed in my task, so much so that I didn't notice someone standing next to me, and when a hand suddenly appeared on my shoulder, I jumped, and backhanded a box of screws across the workbench. Danse quickly withdrew his hand, and he cleared his throat. "Sorry for startling you."

"It's fine." I waved my hand in the air flippantly, and set the box upright. "So, what's next in our quest to get Liberty Prime running?"

"Dexter's gone to Diamond City to get a high powered magnet," Danse said, and we both started picking up screws.

"By himself?" I frowned.

"He can handle himself," Danse said, though he seemed uneasy about it.

I tipped a handful of screws into the box. "I guess so. He doesn't really seem like a loner to me."

"You'd know all about that."

I turned to smile at him. "I'm the world expert on being alone."

"I've never actually seen you on your own, though." He put the last of the screws away, and then put the box on a high shelf where I couldn't get to them.

"I was, back in my heyday. I'd say I didn't want to get other people caught up in what I did, but honestly, I was just really bad at getting on with people," I said. This wasn't the entire truth, as I'd had one or two companions in my earlier days, but after they met with unfortunate ends, I decided I didn't want anymore. Partially because I'd been accused of killing one of them.

"Your social skills have certainly improved."

"You're a sweetheart." I smiled, and then clapped my hands together. "Right, so how are we going to fill the time until something comes up?"

"I've been meaning to do some maintenance on my power armour," he said, walking over to one of the stations, and he exited his power armour.

I sat down on a table nearby, shifting the radio to the side. "I can't remember the last time I saw you not in that."

"Why wouldn't I be? Feels like I can take on the world in there." He started collecting the various tools and materials he'd need, and I passed him a screwdriver.

"I know what you mean. I could've used my suit when I was in the Mojave." I took my coat off, and rolled up the sleeves of my shirt, and looked at the mark on my arm where I'd been stung by a cazadore.

"How was that?"

"It's really civilized over there, like scarily so. The Courier's done a lot to help out." I stretched my arms out, and swung my legs as my feet barely touched the floor.

"What is this Courier like?" Danse asked, adjusting a bolt with a wrench.

"She's fun. She once woke me up by playing the trumpet. She's also really good at playing the trumpet." I looked at my Pip-Boy, and scrolled through the notes section. "Her full name's Ashley Nova Cruz, and yet she made fun of _my_ middle name. And, though I never got confirmation on this, I'm pretty sure she was in a relationship with a robot."

Danse stopped to look at me. "What _kind_ of robot?"

"It could've been multiple robots, I'm not sure, but the one I'm most certain on was just a face on a screen." I found the notes I'd made on the Courier specifically, and quickly read through them.

"It amazes me how people can think robots are equal to humans." Danse shook his head, and went back to his power armour.

"Yeah, it's a little weird." I shifted uncomfortably. "Anyway, enough about my exciting adventures. How are things with you?"

"I'm doing well. Nothing of note to report."

"That's good." I looked around the room, trying to think of a way to keep the conversation going. I remembered the question I was going to ask him in Sanctuary. "Danse, do you think the Brotherhood should be here?"

He paused, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, we know nothing about the Institute, and yet we've just charged in head on to deal with them. I'm not saying I have doubts in our ability, but... but what if something goes wrong? What if we lose?" I said, holding onto the edge of the table as I leant forward.

"Harmony, I don't see _how_ we could lose. With everything we have at our disposal, and of course with the help of Dexter and you," he said, and I smiled to myself.

"Flattery will get you everywhere. And maybe you're right; maybe I'm just worrying myself unnecessarily." I flipped my hair out of my face. "And with an agent on the inside, we _should_ have the upper hand."

"Yes, even though Dexter had an ulterior motive for gaining entrance to the Institute." Danse stopped, and looked up. "He went in to find his son, but he's not said if actually did or not."

I opened my mouth to speak, but then shut it quickly, as I wasn't sure if Dexter wanted me to tell people about his son. I guessed not, since he'd told me in private. "He probably will in his own time, I mean, he's got a lot going on at the moment. This is a pretty stressful time for all of us," I gabbled.

"You're right, but... I'm just worried about him." He sighed.

"You two must be pretty good friends."

"Yes, we are fairly close," he said, his face turning red slightly. I may have picked up on this, had I not been distracted by Maxson walking onto the deck, and coming over to us.

"Harmony, I thought I might find you here," Maxson said, standing with his hands behind his back.

I smiled. "I'm helping out as always."

"May I ask how?" Maxson raised an eyebrow.

"Moral support." I put my head to one side, my grin widening as he shook his head at me, and he turned to Danse.

"Paladin, where is Knight Harper?" Maxson asked, ignoring me as I pouted at him.

"He's gone to retrieve a high powered magnet," Danse said, looking at the floor, and waiting for his blush to fade.

"Excellent." Maxson nodded, and he faced me again. "Harmony, can I suggest that you make yourself actually useful?"

I rolled my eyes, and jumped off the table. "Have any ideas what I could do?"

"There are always squires that need training, and I know that no one could do a better job than you," he said, and I couldn't help smiling.

"You guys are the best at making me feel good." I waved to both of them as I walked off, actually looking forward to doing a regular job. I'd make it exciting for them, and teach them things that maybe other people didn't think were necessary, but that would still be useful. It'd be like stepping back in time seven years.

* * *

 **This is going to be the last update for a while, because of personal reasons. Apologies about that, I wish I could help that, but unfortunately I can't. Sorry.**

 **Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and any feedback is welcome.**


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